Restoration projects a challenge for native tree nurseries

Stream restoration projects can add up to big orders for producers of native trees and shrubs.

Restoring shade to denuded streams — and thus cooling the water for fish — requires about 2,200 plants per acre.

With about 1.7 million miles of streams across the U.S. needing some degree of restoration, native plants are a potential “huge business opportunity,” said Joe Whitworth, president of The Freshwater Trust conservation non-profit.